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Google teams with NSA on cyber attacks; company grows its Washington presence

from Thursday's Post:

By Ellen Nakashima
The world's largest Internet search company and the world's most powerful electronic surveillance organization are teaming up in the name of cybersecurity.

Under an agreement that is still being finalized, the National Security Agency would help Google analyze a major corporate espionage attack that the firm said originated in China and targeted its computer networks, according to cybersecurity experts familiar with the matter. The objective is to better defend Google -- and its users -- from future attack.

Google and the NSA declined to comment on the partnership. But sources with knowledge of the arrangement, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said the alliance is being designed to allow the two organizations to share critical information without violating Google's policies or laws that protect the privacy of Americans' online communications. The sources said the deal does not mean the NSA will be viewing users' searches or e-mail accounts or that Google will be sharing proprietary data.

The partnership is another indication of the close ties Google has forged within the federal government. Former Googlers now working at the White House include Andrew McLaughlin, deputy CTO, and company CEO Eric Schmidt is an economic advisor to President Obama.

The former product manager of Google's mobile division, Sumit Agarwal, recently joined the Defense Department as the deputy assistant secretary of defense for outreach and social media.